Honest Feelings
by Shinza
Summary: How could he have messed up so bad? /GaLe/


**Honest Feelings**

 **Hello dear Reader;**

 **This is a short one-shot for all of those bittersweet moments that, happy or sad, make you feel serene once they have ended, but also make you yearn for more.**

 **Disclaimer : I do not own** ** _Fairy Tail_**

* * *

 **Gajeel**

A black lock of hair fell over his eyes as he slowly rose from his kneeling position, not bothering with that treacherous tear slowly rolling down his cheek.

 _How could he have messed up so bad?_

He cradled the small woman's body in his arms, wanting to hold her against his wide chest, let her body take some of his warmth, curl himself around her, let his iron scales protect her, and never let her leave again… and yet, his arms were locked, as if refusing to tighten around her, frightened that her pale skin would shatter under his hold.

 _He had vowed to be her shield, her strength._

Her blue locks swayed with the gentle wind, but the acrid smell of ashes and burnt flesh circling them made sure that he didn't forget where he really was. Strangely, the battlefield had fallen into deafening silence. Or maybe that was just him going into shock?

 _Her stillness was scaring him._

She had lost her orange bandana sometime during the fight, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember why this was happening. All he could do was stare at her bruised body, admire her sleeping face as it rested against his upper arm, and be careful not to touch her broken arm that was hanging limply over his hold.

 _He couldn't breath anymore._

His lungs constricted, burning for air at every gulp, never satisfied with the warm and dusty oxygen he took in. As the rusty taste of blood made him want to gag, his head felt light, and the world spun around him.

 _He couldn't afford to fall over with her still in his arms._

He locked his legs in place, willing his knees to not buckle under him. He knew his body was at its limit. He had used up the last bit of his magic with that attack, had let his instincts move his body when he had seen her take the blow for him, had felt his heart stop at seeing her unconscious body hit the rocky ground. He couldn't feel the cuts along his arms, the broken ribs that were threatening to pierce his lungs, or even the shards of glass that dug into his back.

 _He had been the one to push her away; had told her to leave him, to find someone worthy of her._

His muscles shook; the adrenaline numbing his senses, but not the cold regrets biting at his heart.

 _But he couldn't stand it. Being far from her was too painful._

His sight was blurred, but it never left her closed eyes. As he watched her skin grow pale, his brain could only come up with a single word:

 _No._

Repeated as a mantra, a prayer, a plea. Hoping that if he refused this situation, everything would go back to normal. Back to a time before the fight with the dragons, before the Magic Tournament, before Tenrou, before entering Fairy Tail, before the night he had cruelly pinned her to that tree. Before meeting her. Before falling in love with her.

 _He had followed her, hidden in the shadows, but never letting her see him._

More tears slid down his face as he gently touched his forehead to hers. His jaw tightened as his lips drew back from his sharp teeth, holding back a choked whimper.

 _He never could bare the idea of her being with some weakling that wouldn't have been able to protect her._

Even now he could smell that light odor of ink that clung to her. Unconsciously taking in a deep breath, his body loosened up a bit. He couldn't remember when he had first noticed that she had that faint smell of ink mingled in with the raspberry smell of her shampoo, but it was addicting.

 _He had been a fool to push her away instead of keeping her right next to him, where she would always be in his reach if he needed to pull her out of harm's way._

Even after ignoring her, pushing her two lackeys her way, insulting her books, forbidding Pantherlily to see her, and being a complete jerk to her, she had still appeared out of nowhere to shield him from the dragon's blow. She had almost died for being so reckless.

"Come on Levy, wake up."

His voice was barely a whisper, but any louder and his words probably would have cracked. When she didn't stir from her unconscious state, he lifted his head just enough to lay a kiss on her forehead. He lingered there a few seconds before pulling away when he felt her arm twitch against him.

"Really? I saved your life and that's all I get?"

The Fairy Tail mage's gaze snapped back to her face, relief coursing through him as he saw a smile pulling at her lips. Her soft brown eyes were half-lidded with exhaustion, her brows were scrunched up in pain, her breaths came out short and with difficulty, her torn dress was covered in blood, dust and mud, the gash on her arm would probably leave a scar,… but right now the light blush covering her cheeks was the most precious thing he had ever seen.

"We'll have plenty of time for more later. But right now I need to get you to Wendy."

At his words, Levy closed her eyes and hid her smile into the curve of Gajeel's neck, letting herself drift off to sleep while her dragon slayer slowly made his way to the edge of the battlefield, heading towards the little healer's location.


End file.
